New chance for Aussies to see spectacular Aurora Australis on Tuesday
Australia was treated to a spectacular Southern Lights show in May and the BOM says it could happen again on Tuesday.
Aussies could be in for another spectacular light show from Aurora Australis, also knows as the Southern Lights.
Experts are keeping a close eye on increased activity on the sun, with the chance auroras could be visible from parts of Australia on Tuesday night.
Auroras are usually seen from Tasmania. However, May brought in the biggest geomagnetic storm in nearly 20 years, giving stargazers in Victoria, South Australia, and across the globe prime views of the rare event.
Thousands of magical images of the colourful Aurora lit up our social media feeds, as skywatchers from across Australia captured the dramatic solar storms which are usually only visible from Tasmania or southern parts of Victoria.
Now, another geomagnetic storm is expected to hit, with it forecast to be strongest on Tuesday evening.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury confirmed there was a chance of seeing the colourful spectacle but not as good a chance as there was back in May.
People in southern Victoria and Tasmania will have the best chance at seeing auroras.
“At this point the southwest and central coast of Victoria are looking the most promising,” she said.
In May, the night sky was lit up by stunning red, pink, green and purple hues in outback WA, Tasmania, coastal Victoria and South Australia, parts of NSW and even as far north as Queensland.
Dr Rebecca Allen, co-director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University in Melbourne, told Yahoo News Australia, Auroras that come as high north were caused by extreme geomagnetic events.
“The Sun is currently in the most active phase of its solar cycle, meaning it is prone to have more flares and ejections that cause the dramatic Aurora,” she said in June.
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“In order to understand if another one of these will occur, scientist use current data on the number of sunspots visible as well as the Sun’s X-ray, UV and radio wavelength emissions,” Allen told Yahoo News.
“They then model this with past data and events to create a forecast. But even if there is a high likelihood of activity, we still can’t 100 per cent guarantee an event more than a few days out.
“Where the Aurora can be seen is directly dependent on the strength of the geomagnetic storm as well as when it reaches Earth.
“If a strong event is coincident with our night, then the Aurora will come much further north than if it were to happen in the middle of the day. Essentially it would have dissipated before our skies were dark enough to see it.”
Allen said the Sun had a 11-year cycle of activity with a maximum and minimum.
“Normally, when we are experiencing a solar maximum there are more sunspots and a higher chance of the flares and ejecta that cause Aurora,” she said.
“But there is still much we do not understand about the Sun and how this activity correlates with the cycle. This is why there is so much dedicated research and spacecraft studying the Sun’s atmosphere and magnetic field.
“The solar storms may appear to us as beautiful Aurora, but they often damage satellites and can disrupt power supplies on Earth.
“Being able to better predict them give us a better chance to catch the magnificent show while safe-guarding our critical infrastructure.”
She said when the geomagnetic storms interact with Earth’s magnetic field, the energetic particles are funnelled along until they reach the poles.
“Here they literally slam into our atmosphere exciting the nitrogen and oxygen,” Allen explained. “This exchange is what produces the different colours and is why we get the ribbon structures.”
BOM will issue an Aurora Watch notice 48 hours before an event
A spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said in June that we are approaching a solar maximum which meant there was heightened frequency and intensity of solar activity, meaning another Aurora could be on its way.
“Solar activity is responsible for the geomagnetic storms around the Earth which enhance the Auroras,” they told Yahoo News.
“As with any forecast, we can’t say with any certainty when the next Aurora event will occur, but as we approach the solar maximum, we can certainly expect some activity.”
The BOM's latest Aurora Watch notice was issued on July 29.
- With NCA NewsWire.
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